Managing Rights Management

Silveredge Technologies and Sorenson Media Digital Fingerprinting Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of this week's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Silveredge Technologies (IN), the first patent addresses techniques for hardware agnostic detection of television advertisements. Assigned to Sorenson Media, the second patent addresses techniques for fingerprinting media content using hashing.

Gracenote and Enswers Digital Fingerprinting Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Gracenote, the first patent addresses techniques for media channel identification and action with multi-match detection based on reference stream comparison. Assigned to Enswers (KR), the second patent addresses techniques for an advertisement detection system and method based on fingerprints.

Intel and Elixsys Blockchain and DRM Patent Applications

We continue the theme of blockchain (block chain, distributed ledger) and digital rights management broadly construed. Assigned to Intel, the first Spotlight Application discloses techniques for blockchain-based shadow images to facilitate copyright protection of digital content. Assigned to Elixsys, the second application discloses techniques for using smart contracts to control the trade, supply, manufacture, and distribution of commodities.

Nagravision Watermarking and Gracenote Fingerprinting Patents

New patents are issued by the USTPO on Tuesdays. This week's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital watermarking and digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Nagravision (CH), the first patent addresses techniques for embedding a watermark in uncompressed video data. Assigned to Gracenote, the second patent addresses techniques for inserting advertisements and/or other supplemental or replacement content into a stream of video content.

Sharp Watermarking and Facebook Fingerprinting Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital watermarking and digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Sharp (JP), the first application discloses techniques for decoding a content bitstream including receiving a respective watermark associated with different portions of said content bitstream. Assigned to Facebook, the second application discloses techniques for detecting commercials based on audio fingerprinting.

Enswers Fingerprinting and Thomson Watermarking Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Today's Spotlight Applications address aspects of digital fingerprinting and digital watermarking. Assigned to Enswers (KR), the first of today's applications discloses techniques for advertisement detection based on fingerprints. Assigned to Thomson, the second application discloses techniques for increasing the strength of phase-based watermarking of an audio signal,

iSpot.TV and Sorenson Media Digital Fingerprinting Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published in Thursdays. Today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital fingerprinting.  Assigned to iSpot.TV, the first application discloses techniques for modifying advertisements. Assigned to Sorenson Media, the second application discloses techniques for detecting channel change in automatic content recognition fingerprint matching.

Facebook and Google Digital Fingerprinting Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Facebook, the first of today's patents addresses techniques for commercial detection based on audio fingerprinting. Assigned to Google, the second patent addresses techniques for facilitating flip-resistant media fingerprinting.

Facebook Fingerprinting and Digimarc Watermarking Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital fingerprinting and digital watermarking. Assigned to Facebook, the first patent addresses techniques for detecting commercials based on audio fingerprinting. Assigned to Digimarc, the second patent addresses media processing methods and arrangements using digital watermarking. #Digimarc #Facebook

XCINEX Watermarking and Verizon Fingerprinting Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Last Thursday's Spotlight Applications concern digital watermarking and digital fingerprinting. Assigned to XCINEX, the first application discloses techniques for viewing movies. Assigned to Verizon, the second application discloses audio fingerprinting for advertisement detection.

RPX and Thomson Digital Watermarking Patents

New patents are issued by the USPTO on Tuesdays. Both of today's Sportlight Patents concern aspects of digital watermarking. Assigned to RPX, the first patent addresses techniques using watermarking for advertisement detection. Assigned to Thomson (FR), the second patent addresses techniques for detecting which one of symbols of watermark data is embedded in a received signal.

Cognitive Media and IBM Digital Fingerprinting Patents

Tuesdays the PTO issues new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents concern aspects of digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Cognitive Networks, the first patent addresses techniques for real-time television ad detection using an automated content recognition database. Assigned to IBM, the second patent addresses techniques for generating and utilizing a data fingerprint to enable analysis of previously available data.

Gracenote and Thomson Digital Fingerprint Patent Applications

Thursdays the PTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital fingerprinting. assigned to Gracenote, the first application discloses techniques for generating and detecting fingerprints for synchronizing audio and video. Assigned to Thomson Licensing (FR), the second application discloses techniques for frame accurate advertisement insertion.

Digimarc and Fujitsu Digital Watermarking Patent Applications

The PTO publishes new pending patent applications on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital watermarking . Assigned to Digimarc, the first of today's applications discloses techniques for economically secure digital mass media systems. Assigned to Fujitsu (JP), the second application discloses techniques for interactive advertising using digital watermarks.

IP Squared and Adobe DRM Patent Applications

Thursdays the PTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of the Spotlight Applications presented address aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to IP Squared Technologies, the first application discloses techniques for managing data assets associated with peer-to-peer networks. Assigned to Adobe, the second application discloses a digital rights management retrieval system.

Dish and Cognitive Media Digital Fingerprinting Patent Applications

The PTO publishes new pending patent applications on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Dish Digital, the first application discloses techniques for pre-distribution identification of broadcast television content using audio fingerprints. Apparently assigned to Cognitive Media Networks, Inc., the second application discloses techniques for real-time television ad detection using an automated content recognition database.

Intertrust Watermarking and Verance Fingerprinting Patent Applications

Thursdays the PTO publishes new pending patent applications. Today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital watermarking and digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Intertrust, the first application discloses techniques for data protection. Assigned to Verance, the second application discloses techniques for content distribution including advertisements.

Hitachi Watermarking and Microsoft Fingerprinting Patent Applications

New pending patent applications are published on Thursdays by the PTO. Today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital watermarking and digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Hitachi (JP), the first application discloses a digital watermark advertising content service system. Assigned to Microsoft, the second application discloses techniques for video identification and search.

Enswers and Set Media Digital Fingerprinting Patent Applications

Thursdays the PTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital fingerprinting. Assinged to Enswers (KR), the first application discloses techniques for generating video markup data on the basis of video fingerprint information. Assigned to Set Media, the second application discloses techniques for matching an advertisement to a video.

SAP and Managed Audience Share Solutions DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights managment. Assigned to SAP (DE), the first application discloses techniques for generating constraints for use in access control. Assigned to Managed Audience Share Solutions LLC, the second application discloses techniques for managing organized binary advertising asset markets.

Fox and Fujitsu DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications address aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Fox Entertainment, the first application discloses techniques for media asset/content security control and management, especially with respect to advertising. Assigned to Fujitsu (JP), the second application discloses techniques for information processing  and use right collective management.

Apple and Microsoft DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO publishes new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents address aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Apple, the first patent concerns a token passing technique for media playback devices. Assigned to Microsoft, the second patent concerns techniques for offline playback of advertising supported media.

Two Intertrust DRM Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new pending patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of digital rights management and both are assigned to Intertrust. The first application discloses techniques for dynamic, local targeted advertising. the second application discloses techniques for content sharing.

Microsoft and IBM DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO issues new patents. Today's Spotlight Patents address aspects of digital rights management. Assigned to Microsoft, the first patent concerns techniques for enforcing advertisement playback for downloaded media content. Assigned to IBM, the second patent concerns techniques for managing access to physical data via a data abstraction model.

LG And Microsoft DRM Patents

On Tuesdays the USPTO publishes new patents. Both of today's Spotlight Patents address aspects of DRM. Assigned to LG Electronics, the first patent concerns techniques for processing digital rights management contents containing advertising contents. Assigned to Microsoft, the second patent concerns techniques for software application protection by way of a digital rights management.

Digital Rights Management Patent Applications

On Thursdays the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight Applications address various aspects of DRM. The first application discloses techniques for generating teaser advertisements and providing content, no assignee given. Assigned to Samsung (KR), the second application discloses techniques for DRM and for DRM-enabled devices.

Phillips Acquires The Rest of Teletrax

Phillips has announced that is has acquired the portion of Telextrax, the video content tracking service, that it did not own from former joint venture partner Medialink.

Teletrax was launched in 2002 as a joint venture between Philips and Medialink Worldwide Incorporated (Nasdaq: MDLK). Based on Philips’ digital watermarking, and fingerprinting technologies Teletrax provides clients with services that enable them to precisely track and monitor where, when and how their content is being aired via cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcasting. In 2006, Teletrax partnered with Philips for its Mediahedge service, an end-to-end service platform for identifying, monitoring and monetizing media content on the Internet.

ISP Targeted Advertising

One example of the current discussion regarding ISP efforts to participate in revenue streams based on advertising is this overview article that appeared in MediaPost. Charter and others are looking into ad insertion based on capturing information about the web browsing behavior of their customers.

In the U.S., ad company Charter Communications has said it intends to share information about its broadband subscribers' Web surfing with ad company NebuAd. Bob Dykes, CEO of NebuAd, has said that the platform is anonymous, and that users will be able to opt-out.

NTT DRMs Affiliate Video Advertising

NTT Communications has announced its new DRM service for affiliate video advertising.

Some advertisers have hesitated, however, to let affiliates carry their video advertisements due to concerns that the content might be altered in some way without the advertiser's permission, or that the content might be illegally copied due to inadequate security measures employed by the affiliate's Website.

The new DRM Video Affiliate service addresses these concerns by using DRM technology to encrypt video content for the prevention of unauthorized editing or copying. Advertisers can also specify the duration and number of times that individuals may view their video ads.

Using DRM to preserve the integrity and identity advertising makes a lot of sense.

Ad Blocking Poll: Norton Internet Security

It's not clear whether under copyright law consumers can strip advertising from web pages. One legal theory is that the stripped page is a derivative work. Under copyright law, rightsholders can reserve the right to create derivatives for themselves.

As noted, Symantec has dropped the adblocking feature from the 2008 version of Norton Internet Security. The poll results are in:

The number of voters is small--37--but the sentiment is clear: restore ad blocking.

Ad Blocking Poll To Close 3-15 - Norton Internet Security

Symantec has indicated that it will no longer support the ad removal feature of Norton Internet Security 2008. The poll running in the right hand column will close on the Ides of March, Saturday, March 15th. Please indicate your preferences before then.

Philips and IBM DRM Patent Applications

Thursday the USPTO publishes new patent applications. Both of today's Spotlight applications address certain aspects of DRM. Assigned to Philips, the first application discloses state information in DRM identifier for ad DRM. Assigned to IBM, the second application discloses techniques for supporting digital rights management in an enhanced Java 2 runtime environment.

Symantec NIS Ad Blocking Poll - Vote Here

The issue of ad blocking has generated a few comments to a previously blogical on the topic. I've posted a quick poll on the subject which should appear at the top of the right column. In a few days I'll let Symantec know of the poll and the results.

Norton Internet Security Drops Ad Blocking For 2008 Version

In November I reported that Symantec had apparently dropped the ad blocking feature of Norton Internet Security, a feature I depend on.

While at the Consumer Electronics Show last week I asked Cecilia Daclan, Senior Manager, Consumer Public Relations at Symantec about the removal of the ad blocking feature. She agreed to look into the matter and in follow up email, here's what Ms. Daclan wrote:

Norton Internet Security 2007 users will find the ad blocking feature in the add-on pack.  However, we did remove the ad blocking feature from the Norton Internet Security 2008 add-on pack.  Therefore, if you have Norton Internet Security 2007 you can take advantage of the ad blocking feature by downloading it for free via the add-on pack.  If you have Norton Internet Security 2008, that feature is no longer available.

We're evaluating the ad blocking feature for future releases of Norton Internet Security.

Here's one vote for Symantec continuing to support the ad blocking feature.

 

DRM 3.0 - Privacy

Dennis McDonald posted a comment on my DRM 3.0 blogicle asking, "Did any of the industry folks you talked with say anything about possible privacy implications for "DRM 3.0" applications?" The direct answer is "yes and no."

Privacy issues turn, in my view, on what is done with information relating to user behavior. However, privacy is not the only issue raised by DRM 3.0 models.

Some ISPs are threatening to interdict and prevent the transfer of copyrighted media content (especially if that content belongs to large companies). If ISPs provide user specific information to the RIAA, MPAA, or other stakeholders that then becomes the basis for civil litigation or criminal prosecution, then privacy is obviously a major concern to all.

Microsoft Advertising and Apple Code Injection Patent Applications

The blogosphere has been busy discussing recent patent applications from Microsoft and Apple. In many cases, these applications have been discussed as if they had already been issued by the USPTO, which they have not. The Microsoft application addresses techniques for ensuring that advertising in video objects is seen before the non-advertising content is displayed. The Apple application (actually, the second of two this year with similar specifications, the first is this one from January 4th), enables code to be injected at run time into an executable. This technique can be used to bind an operating system or application to a particular hardware or software platform.

China jails man for ad stripping software

As noted earlier, ad stripping is practiced in the US through browser plugins. At least until recently, Norton Internet Security provided a robust ad stripping capability.

[Tip o' the hat to Dave] Now the Wall Street Journal reports that Chen Shoufu, a 28 year old computer science instructor, has been arrested for distributing a program (Coral QQ) that strips ads from QQ, China's dominant instant messaging network.

Tencent [the operator of QQ] first complained to Mr. Chen in late 2002, saying Coral QQ violated its copyright and warning him to stop distributing it. He did. Mr. Chen then devised a noninvasive "patch" on the program -- a separate piece of software -- that would run concurrently with QQ on a user's computer and modify it as the two went humming along. In 2003, he resumed offering Coral QQ.

In 2006, as it became increasingly apparent that Coral QQ was only growing in popularity, Tencent filed a 500,000 yuan ($68,000) lawsuit alleging copyright infringement against Mr. Chen and won a judgment for 100,000 yuan, which Mr. Chen paid. In early August, Tencent complained to the police in Shenzhen, where it has its headquarters, and on Aug. 16 Mr. Chen was detained. Tencent said Mr. Chen was "making illegal profits and infringing on Tencent's copyright."

Symantec And The Right To Block Banner Ads and Popups

Back in September I noted an article suggesting that Web ad blocking may not be legal. One legal theory is that the recipient of a Web page doesn't have the right to create a derivative work by deleting one or more banner ads.

I noted then that  Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2006 has a very effective ad blocking feature. Now, it seems, that Symantec has removed this feature from the 2006 and subsequent versions. One can only wonder why. Legal advise? Pressure from advertisers or advertising providers such as Google? Don't know.

Here's what I do know. Because the software update feature was failing, I elected to use their removal tool and reinstall the software from the version I had downloaded in 2006. Following installation, the LiveUpdate feature downloads and installs the current files, including software and virus definition updates.

At the completion of this process the privacy feature which blocks banner ads and popup advertising had disappeared, both as user accessible options and in the Symantec supplied Help files.

However, using the Internet Archive's WaybackMachine, the product feature page for Norton Internet Security 2006 from January 1, 2006 has as the last entry in a list of features: Blocks banner ads and popup windows.

For the moment, at least, the story ends OK. I was able to restore the previous version with ad and popup blocking from my backup file (love Acronis' backup software!).

NYTimes To Liberate Paid Content

The New York Times announced yesterday that its TimesSelect paid content service for opinion articles will end tomorrow. Instead, the Times will convert to an advertising based model. According to a MarketWatch article, the Times concluded that revenue growth from vertising would be greater than revenue growth from paid subscriptions.

I believe the Wall Street Journal (including Barrons) as the only major mostly paid news source, although a number of financial news sites (e.g., TheStreet.com, MarketWatch) charge for premium content.

As noted, there may be some sort of litigation in the future to prevent people from using browser plug-ins and other tools to remove advertising.

Web ad blocking may not be legal

[tip o'the hat to GigaLaw] A CNET article says that there may be litigation over ad blocking. The article is worth a read.

It doesn't mention security products like Norton Internet Security 2006 from Symantec (haven't looked closely at the 2008 version) which has a very effective ad blocking capability that they acquired some years ago and have developed since then. I understand that other antivirus / security software products also include ad blocking, but haven't looked recently.

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